American checkers rules and how to play
Checkers (American checkers, also called English draughts) is a two-player strategy board game played on the 32 dark squares of an 8×8 board. Each player starts with 12 men on the three nearest rows, and Black moves first. Men move one square diagonally forward and capture by jumping over an enemy piece; capturing is compulsory. A man that reaches the far row becomes a king, which moves one square diagonally in any direction. You win when your opponent has no legal move: all their pieces are captured or blocked.
The board and the starting position
Checkers is played on a board of 8 by 8 squares, but only the 32 dark squares are used. The board is placed so that each player has a dark square at their lower left. Files are named a to h and ranks 1 to 8 from Black's side. Each player starts with 12 men on the dark squares of the three rows nearest to them: Black on ranks 1–3, White on ranks 6–8. Black moves first.
How to play, step by step
- Black moves first. Players take turns moving one of their own pieces on the dark squares.
- A man moves one square diagonally forward to an empty square.
- If an enemy piece is diagonally in front of yours with an empty square behind it, jump over it to capture it. Capturing is compulsory.
- If the jumping piece can capture again from where it lands, it must keep jumping in the same move.
- A man that reaches the far row becomes a king. A king moves and captures one square diagonally in any direction.
- You win when your opponent cannot move: all their pieces are captured or blocked.
- The game is drawn when the same position appears three times, after 40 moves each without a capture or a man move, after 400 moves in total, or by agreement.
How men move
Players take turns. A man moves one square diagonally forward to an empty dark square; it never moves backward or sideways.
Capturing: jumps are compulsory
If one of your pieces is diagonally next to an enemy piece and the square right behind it is empty, it can jump over the enemy piece to capture it. Capturing is compulsory: if any capture is possible, you must make one. Men capture only forward.
After a jump, if the same piece can jump again, it must continue in the same move. The captured pieces are removed when the move ends, and no piece can be jumped twice.
If several captures are possible, you may choose any of them, even one that takes fewer pieces, but you must finish the one you choose.
Kings and crowning
A man that reaches the far row (the opponent's back row) is crowned and becomes a king. If it gets there by jumping, the move ends there. A king moves and captures one square diagonally in any direction, forward or backward.
How a game ends: wins and draws
A game ends at once in any of these cases; the server decides every one of them, so nobody has to claim a draw.
- Your opponent has no pieces left: you win.
- Your opponent has pieces but no legal move (all blocked): you win.
- Resignation or running out of time: the other player wins.
- The same position with the same player to move for the third time: draw.
- 40 moves by each player (80 in total) without a capture or a man move: draw.
- 400 moves in total (200 each) on Ttakji: draw.
- A draw agreed by both players.
When a draw by the move limit is near, a counter under the board shows how many moves are left.
Strategy basics
A few simple ideas win most beginner games.
Control the centre
Men on the centre squares can go either way and support each other; men on the edge have only one forward move.
Guard your back row
While men stay on your back row, the opponent cannot crown a king on those squares. Keep two of them at home as long as you can.
Mind the tempo
Men only move forward, so late in the game the side that runs out of safe moves first often has to give pieces away. Do not rush all your men forward.
Trade when you are ahead
When you have more pieces, even exchanges make your advantage bigger. When you are behind, avoid trades and aim for a draw.
Watch for shots
A "shot" gives up one piece to force the opponent into a jump that lets you capture two or more in return. Before every move, check which jumps it forces.
Brazilian draughts
Brazil's official rules apply the international rules to the 8×8 board: men also capture backward, kings fly along the diagonals, and you must capture the most pieces. Our Portuguese page plays these rules.
Play Brazilian draughts (Portuguese page)
Checkers variants
Draughts is played with different rules around the world. The main versions differ in three things: whether men capture backward, how far kings move, and whether you must take the most pieces.
| Variant | Board and pieces | Men capture backward | Kings | Must take the most |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American checkers / English draughts This page | 8×8, 12 each | No | One square | No |
| Brazilian draughts | 8×8, 12 each | Yes | Any distance (flying) | Yes |
| Russian draughts (shashki) | 8×8, 12 each | Yes | Any distance (flying) | No |
| Pool checkers | 8×8, 12 each | Yes | Any distance (flying) | No |
| Spanish draughts | 8×8, 12 each | No | Any distance (flying) | Yes |
| International draughts | 10×10, 20 each | Yes | Any distance (flying) | Yes |
| Thai mak-hot (หมากฮอส) | 8×8, 8 each | No | Any distance; stops right behind the captured piece | No |
| Filipino dama | 8×8, 12 each | Varies by region | Varies by region | Yes |
Rules vary by club and region; the table shows the most common form of each. Ttakji plays American checkers on this page and Brazilian draughts on its Portuguese page.
Checkers vs chess
Checkers and chess share the 8×8 board but play very differently: checkers has one kind of piece, uses only the dark squares and makes capturing compulsory.
| Aspect | Checkers | Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Board | 8×8; only the 32 dark squares are used | 8×8; all 64 squares |
| Pieces | 12 identical men each | 16 pieces of six kinds each |
| First move | Black | White |
| Moves | Men step one square diagonally forward; kings one square diagonally in any direction | Each kind of piece has its own move |
| Capturing | Jump over an enemy piece to the empty square behind it; several jumps in one move | Move onto the enemy piece's square |
| Must capture? | Yes: if you can capture, you must | No: capturing is optional |
| Promotion | A man reaching the far row becomes a king | A pawn reaching the far rank becomes any piece except a king |
| Goal | Leave the opponent with no legal move: capture or block all their pieces | Checkmate the king |
| Draws | Threefold repetition; 40 moves each without a capture or a man move (automatic on Ttakji) | Threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule (claimed by a player), stalemate |
Playing on Ttakji
- Against the AI there is no clock, you can take back moves, and you choose Easy, Normal or Hard.
- In every game the draw rules are applied for you, and a counter under the board shows the moves left when a draw by the move limit is near.
- Online and friend games use 5 minutes of main time plus 3 byo-yomi periods of 30 seconds. Once main time is up, you have 30 seconds per move, and each period you let run out is used up.
- If all your time runs out, you lose. Your clock keeps running while you are disconnected.
- Colours are assigned at random and swap on every rematch.
- You can resign or offer a draw at any time. Undo is only available against the AI.
- Ranked games on this page use their own Elo rating for American checkers, starting at 1,200, and require a Google sign-in.
Frequently asked questions
Is Checkers on Ttakji free? Do I need an account?
Yes. It is free and runs in your browser with nothing to install. Choose a nickname to play the AI, a random opponent or a friend by link. Sign in with Google only for ranked games and the leaderboard. When no other player is available, some random-match opponents may be AI.
Which checkers rules does this page use?
American checkers, also known as English draughts: Black moves first, men move and capture only forward, kings move one square, capturing is compulsory but you choose which capture to make, and a man that reaches the far row is crowned and the move ends there. Brazilian draughts (damas brasileiras) is played on our Portuguese page.
Is this the same as Chinese checkers?
No. Chinese checkers is a different game for up to six players on a star-shaped board, where you race your pieces to the opposite point. Checkers is a game for two players on an 8×8 board in which you capture by jumping over enemy pieces.
Why do I have to capture?
Because capturing is compulsory in checkers: if any of your pieces can jump an enemy piece, you must make a capture, and a multi-jump must be completed. You may choose which capture to make. Ttakji marks the pieces that must capture and only allows legal moves.
When is a game drawn?
A game is drawn automatically when the same position, with the same player to move, appears for the third time; when 40 moves by each player (80 in total) pass without any capture or any man moving; when the game reaches 400 moves in total; or when both players agree. On Ttakji the server applies these rules, so nobody has to claim a draw.
Who moves first, and which colour do I get?
In American checkers Black (the dark pieces) always moves first. Against the AI you choose your colour; in online and friend games colours are assigned at random and swap on every rematch.
How do I play Checkers with a friend?
Press "Play a friend" and send the link. It is a one-on-one game where each of you plays on your own phone or computer. The link works for 24 hours and neither of you needs to sign up.
What is dama, and can I play it here?
Dama is the name used in the Philippines for draughts on an 8×8 board with 12 pieces each. Local rules vary by region; most descriptions give it long-moving kings and require taking the most pieces. This page plays American checkers, not dama; the table "Checkers variants" on this page shows how the main versions differ.